Sometimes a guilty pleasure read is exactly what you want on holiday – and we’ve rounded up 15 of the best for summer 2018. From page-turning thrillers you’ll get through in one afternoon, to genuinely funny rom-coms and uplifting tales about female friendship, these are the beach books to pack in your suitcase…

This taut, psychological thriller follows an affair between a young female teacher and male boarding school student – fans of Curtis Sittenfeld, Zoe Heller and Donna Tartt will devour it in one poolside sitting. An affecting debut, the novel examins self-doubt, self-sabotage, and the lasting impact of both.

A fun page-turner about the inner workings of fame. After a series of missteps, Hollywood actor Charlie Outlaw flees to a remote island in search of anonymity and a chance to reevaluate his recent breakup with his movie star girlfriend. But soon after his arrival, his solitary hike into the jungle takes him into danger he never anticipated.

The latest blistering thriller from Megan Abbott (You Will Know Me, Dare Me). Kit has risen to the top of her profession and is on the brink of achieving the life she’s always wanted, but now someone else is standing in her way – Diane. Best friends at seventeen, Diane knows a secret that will destroy everything Kit’s worked so hard for.

I Know What You Did Last Summer meets the French countryside in this exhilarating psychological suspense novel about a woman trapped by the bonds of friendship. They were six university students from Oxford spending an idyllic week together in a French farmhouse. It was supposed to be the perfect summer getaway… until they met Severine, the girl next door.

Beach book queen Sophie Kinsella (of Confessions of a Shopaholic fame) is back with this book about marriage, love, sex, fear, bravery and more. Dan and Sylvie are a couple who decide to try and add some surprises into their marriage, to keep things interesting. Instead, they find themselves with life-changing shocks…

Heralded as the best rom-com novel of the summer season, is this smart and funny story about dating in today’s swipe-heavy society. It follows young NYC-based matchmaker, Sasha Goldberg, as she attempts to balance her messy personal life with the demands of her eccentric clients. Things take an even messier turn when she falls for someone strictly off-limits.

The Devil Wears Prada author Lauren Weisberger drops Emily Charlton, Miranda Priestly’s uber catty assistant (played by Emily Blunt in the film), into the suburbs of Connecticut, and the result is hilarious. After leaving Runway magazine, Emily made her name in Hollywood as an image consultant to the stars – until she lost all her clients. Now, she needs a major comeback, and a supermodel needs her help…

The perfect summer beach read for fans of Cruel Intentions, The Secret History and Gossip Girl. This clever, juicy thriller follows Charlie – a young woman haunted by a family tragedy – as she gets caught up in a dangerous web of lies and deception involving the ‘It’ crowd and a murky secret society at her prestigious New England school.

This New York Times bestseller is a wild, page-turning ride. Erin is a documentary filmmaker on the brink of a professional breakthrough, Mark a handsome investment banker with big plans. Passionately in love, they embark on a dream honeymoon to the tropical island of Bora Bora, where they enjoy the sun, the sand, and each other. Then, while scuba diving in the crystal blue sea, they find something in the water…

Nick Spalding, the bestselling author of Fat Chance, Bricking It and Mad Love, is back with a comedy about, well, dying. Nathan James is young, successful and has the world at his feet. Unfortunately, he’s also about to die – which ruins things somewhat. And now he’s staring imminent death in the face, Nathan is having to rethink some of his life choices very hard.

Described as Gone Girl and Big Little Lies all in one, this domestic thriller is full of shocking reveals. The small suburb of Pleasant Court lives up to its name, but Isabelle Heatherington doesn't fit into this picture of family paradise. Husbandless and childless, she soon captures the attention of three Pleasant Court mothers – but Ange, Fran and Essie have their own secrets to hide, and as their obsession with Isabelle grows, things begin to unravel.

Brett and Kelly Courtney are the shining jewels in a New York-based reality TV show called Goal Diggers. One of the most popular shows in America, its fiercely competitive cast of five self-made women are defined by their success, beauty and ruthless drive to reach the top by whatever means necessary. Even, it turns out, through murder…

The biggest thriller of 2018 (the film rights have already been bought by Hollywood), if you haven’t yet read this dark, twisty novel, now’s the time. One evening, while spying on her neighbours, alcoholic recluse Anna Fox witnesses something no one was supposed to see. Now she must do everything she can to uncover the truth – but will anyone believe her? And can she even trust herself?

Laura Dave – author of the critically acclaimed Eight Hundred Grapes – returns with this compelling, enticing novel exploring our social media-obsessed world. Sunshine Mackenzie is living the dream – a lifestyle guru with millions of followers and a seemingly perfect life – but off-line, she’s someone else, and when her secret is revealed, her fall from grace is catastrophic. What Sunshine does in the ashes of destruction will save her in more ways than she can imagine.

Dubbed a “dark, gleaming noir gem” by Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn, New York Times bestselling author Laura Lippman’s latest psychological suspense novel is a must-read. It centres on a pair of lovers with the best intentions and the worst luck: two people locked in a passionate yet uncompromising game of cat and mouse. But instead of rules, this game has dark secrets, forbidden desires, inevitable betrayals – and cold-blooded murder.